


Last Christmas

by Lacquiparle



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:40:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28306176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lacquiparle/pseuds/Lacquiparle
Summary: A very happy, soft Christmas fic where Hardy and Miller attend an office holiday party.
Relationships: Alec Hardy/Ellie Miller
Comments: 8
Kudos: 80





	Last Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Happy holidays, everyone!

Hardy hated Christmas. This time of year reminded him of absent holidays where he missed Daisy’s recitals or was late to Christmas dinners and had to apologize to Tess. He was trying to turn a new leaf in his life, but Daisy was with her mom and this year he was alone once more. 

Even more than Christmas, he hated holiday office parties. The macabre decorations and eccentric socialization waned on Hardy’s nerves and anxieties. 

Jenkinson told him to make an appearance at this year’s holiday party. It would be good for morale after the Winterman case and after Harford nearly botched the entire investigation. If CID witnessed Hardy, of all people, enjoying himself, it showed that everything was back to normal. 

Groaning, Hardy stood in a dimly lit corner with a Scotch in hand, his other stiffly shoved into his pocket. His head periodically lolled backwards onto the wall, his eyelids nearly closing or he watched his crew absurdly drinking and dancing. Once he showed his face, he reasoned he could go home. Maybe he could even chat with Daisy if he figured out Zoom. 

His ears perked up to laughter originating from the middle of the room. Dirty Brian was darting around CID with mistletoe above his head, snagging kisses from various colleagues. When he smacked a big kiss on PC Bob’s lips, Hardy noticed that Ellie clapped her hands together and laughed. She wore a little black dress with a red belt cinching her waist, her heels hanging precariously on her fingertips before she tossed them aside. 

Alec grinned to himself when he noticed a reindeer antlers with bells adorning her head. 

Then, when Dirty Brian leaned in to kiss Miller, she didn’t pull away, but she merely offered him her cheek instead. Dirty Brian spun her and she enthusiastically laughed, grabbing the antlers atop her head so they didn’t topple onto the floor.

Something stirred inside Hardy. Something primal and goaded. 

He quickly cleared his throat and looked away, annoyed with himself that he felt protective of someone who was a friend. _Just a friend_ , he reminded himself as he drank his Scotch. 

Before Hardy had the chance to leave, Jenkinson moved away from the party and cornered Hardy. She wanted to know about an upcoming case that Hardy planned to begin work on that very evening. The older woman was questioning him about the details, but Hardy couldn’t help peering over his boss’s shoulder, noticing that PC Bob had scooped Miller up into his arms and they two were swaying to “Silver Bells.” They were dancing and Ellie suddenly had gold tinsel draped about her shoulders, which Bob was coyly draping around his fingers. 

“Last Christmas” began playing over the loudspeakers. 

“Excuse me,” Hardy said, gently moving past Jenkinson, who looked perplexed. Hardy consciously moved through the crowd of colleagues toward Miller who grinned in his direction.

“Mind if I cut in?” Hardy asked, although he nearly shoved Bob Daniels out of the way to gently take Ellie into his arms. 

“Er,” PC Bob began, but graciously bowed out. “I’ll go grab a drink, Ellie.” 

Slightly buzzed from alcohol and the festive spirit, Ellie smiled as Hardy grasped her hands in his and drew her intentionally to him. A few colleagues looked over at them, and Hardy became conscious of whispers.

“What was that about?” Ellie grinned, a flush budding up her neck. 

“Nothing.” Hardy grumbled. “Thought he was getting a little too close to you.” 

Ellie laughed. “And you aren’t?” 

“We’re friends.” 

Ellie didn’t say anything in response to his comment. She just grinned her answer and squeezed his hand. 

Once the song finished, Ellie walked Hardy over to the table where empty liquor bottles were strewn, and someone had shoved a plastic Santa into the holiday cake. She reached for her purse and grabbed her shoes before she turned to Hardy and a thought emerged over her. 

“Come over for dinner. My dad’s been cooking so you won’t get food poisoning,” she remarked cheekily. 

“Oh, Ellie, I can’t.” He said, dragging his hand over his neck. 

“Why not?”

“I told Daisy I would try to learn Zoom so we could chat.” He furiously blushed. He helped Miller put on her wool coat. 

“Tom can teach you! Or for that matter, probably Fred can. It’s not too hard.” She grinned again, clearly ribbing poor Hardy whose face was deepening redder by the second and tried to avoid the knowing gazes of his colleagues. Harford passed by, raising her brows at the two of them, and Dirty Brian made a lewd gesture. 

“Stop that, Brian.” He quickly scolded. 

“Oi! Mistletoe,” Brian explained, referring to the plastic, dilapidated flower hanging above their heads. Hardy quickly reached up and pocketed it before anyone could infer anything further. 

“How about you think about it, yeah?” Before Hardy could respond, Ellie beamed at him. Maybe it was alcohol pulsating between them or something else brewing, but once Ellie was out of sight, Hardy had made his decision. 

“Miller! Ellie!” He practically shouted at her, jogging after her outside. Ellie turned toward him, her hands in her coat pockets, shielded from the cold, the celebratory antlers still ornamenting her head. She stopped and waited as he caught up with her. 

“You change your mind?” She asked. A few flakes of snow fell about them as he gazed down at her.

“Tom can teach me Zoom?”

“Oh, you knob. That’s all you care about?”

“Not exactly.” He excavated the decrepit mistletoe, holding it in the palm of his hand. “I’m not very good at this sort of thing, Miller. Tess can tell you…”

“I don’t care, Alec.” She began, slowly reaching out for his arm. “You cheeky bugger, is that why you didn’t want to go out to the pub with me?” 

He nodded. “Do I need mistletoe to kiss you? Like Dirty Brian?” 

She laughed up at him and intertwined her hands into his, saying, “of course not,” before she balanced on her tiptoes and kissed him on his lips. 


End file.
